Telltale Games announces Batman

Telltale Games announces Batman

Telltale Games, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment Announce Game Series based on Batman™for 2016   Episodic Game Series based on DC Comics' Iconic Character to Premiere Next Year

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015 -- Leading developer and publisher of digital entertainment, Telltale Games, with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment, today announced an interactive episodic game series based onDC Comics' iconic Batman™ that is set to premiere in 2016. The official title for the Telltale series is yet to be revealed. The episodic game series will premiere digitally on home consoles, PC/Mac, and mobile devices. Specific platform details are yet to be announced. "At Telltale, we've been honored to bring our unique approach to interactive storytelling to some of the biggest entertainment franchises in the world, and we're excited to announce that we'll soon be exploring what it means to be Batman in an all-new series starting next year," said Kevin Bruner, Co-Founder and CEO of Telltale Games. "This iteration of Batman will give fans a first-hand opportunity to dive deeper into the complex life and mind of Bruce Wayne, the duality of his own identity, and the struggle of responsibility in saving a city overcome with corruption and villainy." "Telltale has an established track record of creating award-winning content for some of the best properties in the world," said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.  "We look forward to working with the team as they deliver a new interactive way for fans and gamers to experience the rich narrative world of Batman."

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Series Premiering this February

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Series Premiering this February

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Series  Premiering this February in Three Episode Event     Three Episode Series Featuring Iconic Comic Book Character Set to Premiere in February 2016

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015 -- Leading publisher of digital entertainment Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment, announced today that The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Series will premiere this February in a three episode event. Stepping into the lead role of Michonne, award-winning actress Samira Wiley(Orange is the New Black) will portray the iconic character from the comic book series haunted by her past and coping with unimaginable loss and regret. The story explores her untold journey during the time between issues #126 and #139. Through this three-episode Telltale Games series, players will discover what took Michonne away from Rick, Ezekiel, and the rest of her trusted group... and what brought her back. Samira Wiley (Orange is the New Black) will portray the Comic Book/Game Series Iteration of  Michonne The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Series will be available as a stand-alone three-episode series on PC/Mac from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One® and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and Android-based devices via Google Play and the Amazon App Store.   "We've been hard at work on this very special exploration of The Walking Dead universe that will further bridge together our game series with the canon of Robert Kirkman's comic though one of its most complex characters struggling to maintain her own humanity," said Kevin Bruner, Co-Founder and CEO of Telltale Games. "Deeply haunted by the decisions of her past, putting players in the role of a character like Michonne to navigate the broken world around her is an experience that feels uniquely Telltale, and something we simply cannot wait for The Walking Dead fans to play." To date, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series has sold more than 50 million episodes worldwide, earning more than 100 Game of the Year awards from outlets including Metacritic, USA Today, Wired, Spike TV VGAs, Yahoo!, The Telegraph, Mashable, Polygon, Destructoid andGamesRadar, and was also the recipient of two BAFTA Video Games Awards for Best Story and Best Mobile Game.   The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman's award-winning comic book series and offers an emotionally-charged, tailored game experience where a player's actions and choices affect how their story plays out across the entire series.   For more information on the game, visit the official website, Facebook, and follow Telltale Games on Twitter. For more information on The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman, and all of his titles, visit www.Skybound.com andwww.TheWalkingDead.com.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Game Add-On Content Detailed

Rise of the Tomb Raider Game Add-On Content Detailed

Back in October, Xbox and Crystal Dynamics revealed how the single player experience will be extended in Rise of the Tomb Raider and last night at The Game Awards shared a first glimpse at Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, one of the major content packs coming early next year via the Season Pass or as standalone DLC. In addition to Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, fans can also look forward to two other considerable additions to Rise of the Tomb Raider with Endurance Mode (available Dec. 29) and Cold Darkness Awakened (available in 2016) along with a slew of new outfits, weapons and expedition cards to personalize and extend fans experience in the main campaign. 

More information on the main content additions available in the Season Pass or as Standalone DLC for both Xbox One and Xbox 360:

Endurance Mode – Available December 29th 

Alone and in the wild, Lara must scrounge, scavenge, craft and survive the harsh elements by day, as well as lethal threats from enemies, both man and beast, by night. This is her ultimate woman-versus-wild test to push the limits of how long she can survive on her own in sprawling, unforgiving landscapes. Fire takes fuel, cold kills the unprepared, food restores health, but everything must be caught, collected, or crafted. You start with nothing and must find everything. Challenge friends to your longest survival run and battle to the top of the leaderboards for the title of Ultimate Survivor. Includes a new outfit and weapon.

Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch – Available in early 2016

Deep in the wilds of Siberia, there is a forbidden forest that no man will enter, where a Soviet expedition vanished without a trace. Lara enters the Wicked Vale in search of a missing man, but what she finds is a nightmare that she cannot explain. Is the witch, Baba Yaga, truly haunting the forbidden forest? Or is there more to the legend? Featuring hours of new gameplay, this adventure expands the story of the main campaign with Lara facing deadly new adversaries, exploring a new puzzle-filled tomb, and solving a decades old mystery, all culminating in a showdown with an ancient and mythic evil. Includes a new outfit, and a new bow.

Cold Darkness Awakened – Available in 2016

Decommissioned during the Cold War, a dormant weapons research base has been breached, unleashing a mysterious affliction into the Siberian wilds that transforms beasts and men into blood-thirsty, mindless killers. Lara must overcome increasingly dangerous waves of these infected predators while scrounging their equipment and crafting additional gear on the fly, in kill or be killed survival-combat. Fight for your life against new enemies and complete new challenges, while discovering a way to stop or perhaps even reverse this impending catastrophe. Includes a new outfit and weapon.

Newstalk ZB Review - The Night Before, Goosebumps and Self/Less

Newstalk ZB Review - The Night Before, Goosebumps and Self/Less

This week on Jack Tame, I caught up with Jack Tame to discuss Seth Rogen's newest comedy, The Night Before, the impressive Goosebumps and DVD release Self/Less.

Take a listen below:

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-the-night-before-goosebumps/

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-the-night-before-goosebumps/

Far From The Madding Crowd: DVD Review

Far From The Madding Crowd: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Ent

"Bathsheba Everdene"

It's a bold opening statement from Carey Mulligan's heroine in this adaptation of the Thomas Hardy book from The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg. But it's one which sets the stall out impressively and gives Mulligan a chance to shine as the Victorian heroine of the piece.

Through circumstance, Everdene finds herself the owner of a farm and attracting the attention of three different suitors; a gentle shepherd Gabriel Oak (Schoenaerts), her lonely and unhappy neighbour Boldwood (Sheen) and the jilted desperate Sergeant Frank Troy (Sturridge).

In adapting the novel for the big screen and today's audience sensibilities, Vinterberg has not taken his eye off the ball. Lushly shot, making the best of the occasionally desolate period settings, the sunsets and occasionally horrifying imagery (a haunting herding sequence early on being shocking), this Far From The Madding Crowdis a treat for the eyes and the mind.

Mulligan brings a stoic strength and moments of vulnerability to Everdene as the story plays out and the consequences of her triumvirate of suitors. But it's never entirely convincing when it comes to the chemistry between her and Schoenaerts as the love story builds in the face of such challenges, with scenes faltering as they head on their path. She intones at one point that "It is my intention to astonish you all" and that ethos could be applied to Mulligan who's never anything less than compelling as the feminist lead.

Subsequently another weak point is Sergeant Troy, a man who feels underdeveloped and whose actions probably felt more understandable among the prose but whose treatment on the screen suffers due to necessary narrative truncation.

But it's the heartbreak and sadness of Sheen's dignified yet tragic Boldwood that really hits the dramatic mark, imbuing each interaction with Everdene with a feeling that tears are never too far away and that a bittersweet life has left him teetering on the edge.

There's class riddled through this production though, with cinematography of the Dorset countryside, the costuming and attention to period detail shining all the way through, giving it a feeling of prestige.

Worth it for Mulligan and Sheen alone, this Far From The Madding Crowd takes a book from the 1800s and heaves a thrilling breath of cinematic air into it.

Rating:

Ant-Man: Blu Ray Review

Ant-Man: Blu Ray Review

Rating:  M
Released by Sony Home Ent

It's fair to say that as the Marvel Universe expanded its horizons, those running it really did start to lose track of what made the earlier movies so great - character and a degree of intimacy.

Particularly in the last Avengers movie, which concluded in a soulless retread formulaic finale that was redolent of many before, relied on a MacGuffin and that was so steeped in angst, all the joie de vivre threatened to be crushed forever.

So, it's a joy to report that, despite a lack of ant-icipation, Ant-man takes Marvel back to its origins, with a flick that feels like a set- up / origins piece that was so prevalent of Phase Oneand one that is an utter blast in the cinema due to its simple plot.

Those unfamiliar with the incredible shrinking man needn't feel left out. 

It's the story of down-on-his-luck Scott Lang (a brilliantly vulnerable yet timed to comic perfection Paul Rudd), an ex-con with a moral code who just wants to do right by his daughter Cassie after getting out of jail. 

But Lang is singled out by Doctor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas back on form and looking wearied enough to suggest an age and lifetime in the role prior to where we join the movie) to be the recipient of his shrinking super-suit and help Pym ensure that the current CEO of the Pym Industries Darren Cross (Corey Stoll in a relatively thankless role as the rather average and cartoon villain of the piece) doesn't use the tech for the wrong reasons and let it fall into the wrong hands.

Ant-Man is refreshingly small scale and, for the most part, all the better for it.

Sure, it's entrenched in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it never feels fully bound by its conventions, ongoing storylines or bogged down by the Infinity Gems saga. 

There are nods to the world around and an acknowledgement of the events in Age of Ultron(even Pym has a wariness about the Avengers getting their hands on their tech) but this is flick is more about the story of fathers and their legacies, rather than super-sized and angsty heroes coming together to save the day.

Ant-Man is at pains to put its redemption lessons and daddy issues front and centre of the film, with a mantra of the ordinary man being a hero squarely at the fore. Lang's told by his ex-wife at one point that his daughter thinks he's "her hero - so just be the person she already thinks you are"; Pym himself talks a lot about how he failed his daughter Hope (a worryingly sidelined Evangeline Lilly) and Cross is angry that his mentor Pym never fully trusted him or embraced him.

But it's the fact that Marvel's embraced these issues and looked more to address the intimacy of the films that's not proved an insignifc-ant contribution to the overall effect.

Granted, there are some pretty impressive visuals that revel in their Honey I Shrunk the Kidsand Planet of the Giants aesthetics, thanks to Pena's performance, there's a crackling line of comedy that buzzes all the way through (and clearly has Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish's DNA all over it) but there is never anything that wanders too far from the emotional edge that's clearly running through this ant's mandibles. And it's all wonderfully executed by Yes-Man director Peyton Reed.

It's not all perfect though - Stoll is never a full-on threat as the bad guy and the Marvel truck has gone back a few steps in its treatment and execution of women in this piece. Lilly deserved more of a presence in this first film (even if a mid-credits coda seems to promise more ahead) and is sidelined; it's once again a boy's world in this superior heist flick. And it has to be said the appearance of the wider world intrudes into this film - a mid-film sequence and even the post-credits moment feels like Marvel's going back to easy old habits, which is unwelcome after what's just transpired.

Ultimately, thanks to a massively charming Rudd and the lighter touch of the script, Ant-Man is entertaining fare, a welcome diversion from the darker edges and continual set-ups that have become the norm for these films and shorn of the ongoing mythology. 

Ant-Man is light, inventive, frothy and above all, fun - this caper has refreshed the Marvel cinematic offering and it's to be hoped that this formula won't be lost in future.

Rating:

Ex Machina: Blu Ray Review

Ex Machina: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

Finally making its way onto the screen after languishing unreleased is this brilliant tale of AI and mind games.

Domnhall Gleeson plays Caleb in Alex Garland's psychological thriller, a winner in a staff-run lottery to head to an island owned by company CEO Nathan (a suitably creepy Oscar Isaac) and check out some new tech.

When Caleb arrives on the island, he's introduced to Ava (a deliciously slinky and deliberately ambiguous, yet achingly vulnerable Alicia Vikander) and ordered to carry out a Turing Test on her to see if she can pass as a human.

However, as time passes, Caleb begins to question what he's doing on the island and who is playing who.

Devilishly smart, this three-hander psychological game has a claustrophobic feel that's as creepy as it is clever. As the time begins to pass, this sci-fi treat will have guessing from beginning to end; it's almost as if you are expecting something but don't have a clue where it will come from.

There's a sleekness and sophisticated sheen to the film, which really does achieve its day-after-tomorrow aesthetics with worrying ease; there's a very real feeling that this jump into AI could be in our very near future and be more subversive than we'd expect.

But while the film may be about concepts and ideas, its human personification and execution is nothing short of enthralling.

Vikander seals her rising star status with utter ease; her near emotionless face manages to convey more than you'd ever expect, a tangled set of wires may be part of her back head giving you a physical peek into what's within but you can never glimpse a full picture of what's being thought.

Equally, Gleeson relishes his time in the spotlight as the pieces of the puzzle float around his head - the swirling paranoia is gleefully orchestrated by Garland, but it's thanks to Caleb that we're given access to this quandary. Gleeson easily steps up and seizes the opportunity, turning it into something that begins as intriguing and ends with dread.

But it's Oscar Isaac who impresses most - his alpha male Nathan is a terrifying glimpse into where tech svengalis may already be heading and what lengths they're willing to go to get there. But not once does he ever leave you questioning the vision and humanity of the ethical dilemmas within thanks to a nuanced performance.

Elegant and intelligent, Ex Machina is thought-provoking cinema at its best.